Magnus Spectacular
by bluecatcinema
Summary: At war's end...


**Magnus Spectacular**

_Some time ago..._

Iacon, capital city of the planet Cybertron, was in ruins, it's once magnificent buildings either demolished, or aflame. And in the centre of the broken metropolis was the giant Autobot, Omega Supreme. Built by the Autobots as a last resort against the attacking Decepticons, Omega was certainly living up to his creators' expectations, blasting and swatting away entire formations of the warmongering machines.

Nearby, atop Iacon Tower, the tallest building in the city, there stood a single Autobot: Their Supreme Commander, Ultra Magnus. As he watched Omega attack the Decepticons, he felt, for a brief moment, regret for all of the destruction and loss of life Omega was causing. But then, he remembered the opening days of the Autobot/Decepticon war. He remembered how his mentor, Nova Magnus, had reached out to their enemies, hoping to negotiate a peace treaty. The Decepticons had indeed agreed to meet for talks, claiming that they too desired peace. However, this was little more then deception, for in the instant the delegates from the Autobot Council arrived, they were mercilessly gunned down by the Decepticons. Nova Magnus, who had been made head delegate, was the only Autobot who managed to escape the slaughter, managing to stay online long enough to return to Iacon and inform Ultra Prime of their betrayal. With the last of his strength, Nova passed on Stormbringer, the Magnus Hammer, symbol of Autobot leadership, to his young apprentice, declaring him the new Magnus. As he watched his mentor's spark burn out, Ultra Magnus swore to himself that he would not let what happened to his beloved teacher happen to the rest of Autobotkind. No matter what it took, the Decepticons would be defeated!

With grim satisfaction, Ultra Magnus knew that the day of the Decepticons' final defeat-the day he would finally avenge his mentor's death-had come at last. Then, he heard the throttle of approaching fusion jet engines, coming from right above him. A battle cruiser flew towards Iacon Tower, shifting it's form as it came nearer, until the form of Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, landed mere feet away from Ultra Magnus.

The sight of the infamous leader of the Decepticons would have been enough to fill most Autobots with terror, but it only filled Ultra Magnus with anger. Megatron was head of the Decepticon "delegates" who had deceived and attacked Nova Magnus, and his appearance made Ultra Magnus thirst for vengeance against him.

"So," hissed Megatron. "You are the Autobots' pathetic excuse for a Supreme Commander?"

"I am Ultra Magnus." replied the stalwart Autobot. "And _you_ are a coward."

"'Coward'?!" Megatron repeated increduously. "You dare..."

"Oh, I certainly do dare." interrupted Magnus. "Only a coward would wage war against 'bots who weren't built for combat. Only a coward would slaughter those who had only wanted to make peace with him. Remember Nova Magnus? He's gone now, because of your cowardice!"

"Well, isn't that a case of the wire calling the fuse black." retorted Megatron, waving his hand toward Omega Supreme. "You have little right to accuse me of cowardice after unleashing your oversized abomination against my troops."

"I call it 'levelling the playing field.'" remarked Ultra Magnus.

"And I call it 'a futile effort.'" Megatron spat. "Sooner or later, your weapon will run out of power. My troops can endure it's assault. And when it finally falls, we Decepticons will finally take our rightful place as masters of Cybertron."

"Not if I stop you first." said Magnus calmly, tightening his grip on Stormbringer.

"You can try, Autobot." smirked Megatron, drawing his twin swords.

For a moment, the two enemies stood perfectly still. Then they charged toward each other. Ultra Magnus brought down Stormbringer, aiming for Megatron's head, only for his mighty weapon to be blocked by the Decepticon's crossed blades.

"You are quite strong for an Autobot," Megatron admitted, his legs buckling slightly under the force of the impact. "But such strength means nothing against the might of Megatron!"

With one quick thrust, Megatron sent Magnus flying, the Autobot's body smashing through the tower wall. Chuckling darkly, Megatron walked over to the newly-made hole. "Is that all you have for me, Autobot?" he inquired, taunting his adversary.

Ultra Magnus answered by charging his opponant. Catching the Decepticon by surprise, he took the both of them over the tower's edge, his arms wrapped around Megatron's joints, so as to prevent his enemy from transforming, and to ensure he stayed on top of their two-bot pile. To some, such a tactic would have seemed like madness, but to Ultra Magnus, it was an excellent tactical manoeuvre. He now knew that he could not defeat Megatron one-on-one, but if the Decepticon were to be weakened first - say, from a 200,000 foot drop - perhaps then, victory could be possible.

The two hit the ground below with a thunderous crash, creating a massive crater in the middle of the street. The civillian Autobots gingerly approached the crater, seeing nothing but a cloud of dust rising from it. Then came the unmistakeable sound of metal hitting metal, and, to their horror, the civillians saw Ultra Magnus soaring out of the cloud, head first, followed closely by Megatron. The two hit the pavement at the same time, but only Megatron landed on his feet.

"Autobot." snarled Megatron, as Magnus got to his feet. His every word was now infused with fury. "You have committed the grievious error of making me angry!"

As the furious Decepticon charged towards him, Ultra Magnus mentally activated his built-in artillery units, showering Megatron with laser blasts.

"Arrrgh!" cried Megatron, coming to a stop.

Magnus kept up the barrage, internally commanding the lasers to use maximum power. Within moments, Megatron's body was obscured by a cloud of smoke.

For a brief moment, it seemed as if Magnus had actually achieved the impossible, but only for a moment.

When the smoke cleared, Megatron was still standing. Magnus's assault seemed to have done little more then dent his armor.

"Impressive, Autobot." snarled Megatron. "Now, let me show you some real firepower."

With one swift movement, Megatron raised his right arm, aiming the barrel of his vaunted fusion cannon directly at Ultra Magnus, and fired. Magnus bearly managed to jump out of the way in time, firing another laser barrage at his foe. But Megatron was ready, and dodged also, firing his fusion cannon again. This time, the blast struck Ultra Magnus right in the chest, the sheer force of the impact slamming him against a wall.

"Farewell, Autobot." proclaimed Megatron with relish, levelling his fusion cannon in preparation for a final shot.

Thinking quickly, Ultra Magnus swung Stormbringer at a large piece of debris, sending it flying straight towards the fusion cannon's barrel. The impact shattered the barrel, disrupting the weapon's inner workings. Tossing the useless cannon aside, Megatron raised his fists, his swords having been lost in the fall.

"Very well then." sneered Megatron. "I suppose I shall have to crush you with my bare servos."

"You can try." retorted Ultra Magnus, echoing Megatron's earlier taunt.

Once again, the two combatants charged at each other. Ultra Magnus swung Stormbringer again and again, denting and cracking Megatron's armor. But the Decepticon leader gave as good as he got, throwing punch after punch at the Autobots' Supreme Commander, turning his faceplate into a mangled mess. Before long, the onslaught became too much for the valiant Autobot to bear, and he fell to his knees. Sneering contemptuously, Megatron kicked Ultra Magnus in the faceplate, sending him flat on his back.

"Pathetic." snorted Megatron.

With a supreme effort, Magnus forced himself back onto his feet, one last, desperate strategy in mind. Raising Stormbringer, he pooled his strength into one great swing, a swing that Megatron caught in his hand.

Megatron grinned in triumph, stopping when he realised that Ultra Magnus was also smiling. With a thought, Magnus activated the function for which Stormbringer was named: the ability to control the weather. As the clouds gathered above him, Megatron only had time to look up before the lightning struck the hammer, the head of which was still grasped firmly in his hand. The electricity swarmed over Megatron, entering his body through the cracks in his armor, and frying his internal circuitry.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGHH!!!!" the Decepticon leader screamed, in total agony.

When the lightning finally stopped, it was Megatron's turn to fall to his knees. Not one to waste such an opportunity, Ultra Magnus swung Stormbringer once more, catching Megatron in the chin, and sending him flying into a pile of debris.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the civillian Autobots cheered, hardly able to believe what they had just seen.

Barely able to walk, Ultra Magnus shakily approached the sputting, sparking body of Megatron, using Stormbringer as a crutch.

"Now what, Autobot?" Megatron croaked.

"Now, you leave this planet," said Magnus. "And never return."

"You are not going to destroy me?" Megatron groaned in disbelief. "You have already taken the AllSpark and my dignity from me, so why not my spark?"

"Believe me, I want to." spat Magnus. "For what you did to Nova, I would like nothing more then to pound you into scrap. But he wouldn't approve. Nova believed in peace, in the preservation of life. Now, take what's left of your army, and leave Cybertron, forever."

"You are weak, Autobot." coughed Megatron. "One day, the Decepticons will rise again, and you will sorely regret your weakness."

Transforming into his battle cruiser mode, Megatron slowly and shakily flew up into Cybertron's atmosphere, issuing an order to retreat to his surviving soldiers.

The civillian Autobots cheered once more, this time at a volume high enough to overload audio receptors, only stopping when they heard an omnious creaking sound. Omega Supreme, his armor cracked and smoking, collapsed, flat on his back, his power reserves completely spent. The civillian Autobots bowed their heads in respect for the fallen warrior.

Surveying the damage all around him, Ultra Magnus grimly admitted that there was truth in Megatron's words. Preparations would have to be made, in case the Decepticons would ever return. Future generations of Autobots would have to be taught the ways of combat, the Elite Guards' ranks would have to be expanded, and the Autobots would have to remain forever alert, forever vigilante, for the dark day when the Decepticons would indeed return to Cybertron.

But for now, there was peace. Nova Magnus's dream had been achieved, and his apprentice had proven himself to be a worthy Magnus. Ultra Magnus knew that, somewhere, his old mentor was watching over him with pride.

**The End**

_(Transformers Animated, and all characters therein, are the property of Cartoon Network and Hasbro. Nova Magnus, however, is my own creation.)_


End file.
